Ward Cleaver's Golden Era

[Stanley Doble]

Dirtiest phrase on fifties TV:

"Ward, weren't you a little hard on the beaver last night?"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

[Hercule]

...
In the twenties, it was common to decorate athletic sweatshirts with slogans and cartoons.

Saw this just yesterday in fact. I think it was in The Bachelor and the Boby Soxer on TCM

[skyvue]

This chapter of Ward Cleaver's Golden Age doesn't involve Ward; it's a conversation between June and Wally, who's planning to attend State University in the fall and is considering pledging a fraternity.

Wally: Say Mom, y'know I was wondering, next fall when I go up to State, if I should join a fraternity.

June: Well, that's nothing you have to decide right away.

W. Yeah. I guess some of 'em are kind of crazy. You know, I read where some of the guys used to eat goldfish.

June: Yes, but that was before I went to college. Our badge of rebellion was wearing dirty saddle shoes.

Wally: Yeah, you know, I read where college guys are spinning around in clothes dryers now. I guess they've come a long way, huh, Mom?

June: I guess so.

Sheesh, it seems to have been all about the soiled clothes in the '30s -- dirty corduroys, dirty saddle shoes.

[skyvue]

In the episode of Leave It to Beaver I watched most recently, June was worried because Beaver hadn't returned from the grocery store, where he was to pick up some things for June.

June: Your son didn't show up at the market. He was going to pick up Larry and then he was going to go and do my shopping and that was almost two hours ago.

Ward: Well, two boys on a Saturday morning can find a lot of delightful diversions. I remember when I was a kid, I used to fool around watching the milk man feed his horse or the water wagon wet down the dirt streets.

June: Well, that's fine, dear, but this is the twentieth century.

I like it when June gets a little sassy.

[jamespowers]

In the episode of Leave It to Beaver I watched most recently, June was worried because Beaver hadn't returned from the grocery store, where he was to pick up some things for June.

June: Your son didn't show up at the market. He was going to pick up Larry and then he was going to go and do my shopping and that was almost two hours ago.

Ward: Well, two boys on a Saturday morning can find a lot of delightful diversions. I remember when I was a kid, I used to fool around watching the milk man feed his horse or the water wagon wet down the dirt streets.

June: Well, that's fine, dear, but this is the twentieth century.

I like it when June gets a little sassy.

In all seriousness though, I miss a show on TV that had the wisdom and cohesiveness of a show like that. It was a good example of the day. The father listened and gave good advice. The mother did as well. The children screwed up and learned from their mistakes and they remained a happy family.

Going forward 40 years we have Married with Children---the total antithesis.

[Effingham]

Dirtiest phrase on fifties TV:

"Ward, weren't you a little hard on the beaver last night?"

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

Alternate version:

"Ward, you need to go upstairs and chew out the Beaver right away!"


Seriously, though, I've been enjoying the heck out of this thread. The insights -- cultural and historical -- are fascinating. I loved that show as a kid, and always fantasized about that as my life. Part of it was that I grew up (for a while) in small-town Indiana in the 60s, so there was that. Also my dad died when I was six, so I kind of took to Ward as an idealized image of a dad. <sniff> (Last week would have been my dad's 100th birthday -- but he only made it to 55.)

Thanks, Mr. Beaumont, for having been such a good stand-in for me.

[vitanola]

I'm intrigued by this Dirty Cord fad....

I was, too, when I was younger, but all that I could addord in those days was a Slightly Soiled Whippet.

[skyvue]

I recently blogged about the use of "keen" as a slang word in the twenties, and wouldn't you know it, it came up in a scene on Leave It to Beaver this evening.

The Cleaver family is sitting around the breakfast table, discussing the fact that Wally and Eddie Haskell have been invited to join an exclusive social club called The Barons at his high school.

Ward: Well, do they seem like a nice bunch of fellows?

Wally: Gee, I don't know, Dad. Eddie says they're the craziest.

June: The craziest?

Wally: Oh, that doesn't mean they're squirrelly or anything, Mom. It just means they're real cool guys.

Ward: You know, when I was a boy, when we said crazy, we meant crazy.

June: How backward.

Beaver: Boy, Mom, I'll bet in those days, you said something like "swell" or something, huh, Mom?

June: Well, no ... (thinking it over) ... I think we said "Keen!"

Beaver: Keen?? They don't even use that on Dobie Gillis anymore!

If you'd like to read my further musings on the word "Keen," you'll find them here.